The present invention relates generally to sporting equipment accessories and more particularly to a sporting equipment accessory adapted to be worn on the body of an archer and used to carry the archer's bow adjacent to the body in a hands free manner.
Devices for use in assisting a bowhunter in carrying an archery bow as he travels in woods, forests and the like in search of game are well known in the art.
For example, in U.S. Pat. No. 3,998,367 to J. F. Harding there is shown an adjustable strap harness for carrying an archery bow on the back of a person. The harness is attached to the bow at one end through a ring clip that is screwed onto the bow, is attached at the other end to the bow by a retainer hook and is attached at an intermediate portion to a belt worn around the waist of the user. When the harness is on the archer and the bow is attached, the bow is behind the archer's body. To bring the bow into shooting position, the user must release the retaining hook from the bow and then bring the bow over the shoulder to the front of the body.
As another example, in U.S. Pat. No. 3,168,971 to W. Goertzen there is disclosed a bow holder which is intended to be attached to a belt worn around the waist of the user and which conforms to the contour of the hip or waist so as to be comfortable when in use. The bow holder is an integrally formed generally U shaped plate member made of a plastic such as polystyrene. To bring the bow into shooting position, the user must remove the bow from the bow holder.
On page 31 of the Oct. 18, 1988 issue of Aqua-Fields Bowhunting Guide there is shown and described a device referred to as a compound bow sling. The device includes an elongated adjustable strap. A pair of Velcro fastener members wrap around the bow limb, one at each end of the bow handle and snap onto the ends of the adjustable strap. In use, the strap is slung over the shoulder of the wearer and attached to the bow with the bow string disposed below the bow frame. Since the bow string is lower than the bow frame, an arrow if mounted thereon will be pointed upward toward the head or neck of the user.
On page 155 of a Lew Horton's Sporting Goods Catalog, 1988 edition are a number of accessories for archers, including an item labelled A and referred to as a spare bow arm, which is a device which fits on a belt and carries a bow with a slight, stabilizer and quiver, an item labelled B and referred to as a bow sling, which is a device for securing a bow to the hand of an archer, another similar item labelled C referred to as an archery bow sling, an item labelled D referred to as a nylon bow sling, a sling type device which is attached to a compound bow by supplementary hardware and the compound bow sling referred to above and labelled E.
It is an object of this invention to provide a new and improved archer's bow carrying and shooting device.
It is another object of this invention to provide a bow carrying device which is adapted to be worn on the body of an archer and used to carry the archer's bow adjacent the body in a hands free manner.
It is still another object of this invention to provide a bow carrying device as described above in which the bow does not have to be detached therefrom in order to make a shot.
It is yet still another object of this invention to provide a bow carrying device as described above which can be used with all types of bows.
It is a further object of this invention to provide a bow carrying device as described above which can be used with left and right handed bows.
It is another object of this invention to provide a bow carrying device as described above which can be mounted on the bow without the use of supplementary hardware.
It is still another object of this invention to provide a bow carrying device as described above which supports a bow with the bow string above the bow frame.
It is yet still another object of this invention to provide a bow carrying device as described above in which the bow can be very quickly brought into position for firing.
It is a further object of this invention to provide a bow carrying device which is not intended to be mounted on a waist belt of a user.
It is still a further object of this invention to provide a bow carrying device which has a minimum number of parts, is easy and economical to manufacture and easy to use.
It is a further object to allow an archer to shoot an arrow with the assistance of the sling without detachment of the sling.